Elastic rail fasteners



July 7, 1970 L.. MoNcLlN ET AL 3,519,205

ELASTIC RAIL FASTENERS Filed March 20, 1968 2 Shoots-Smet l fd 0 G T Hg. L

July 7, 1970 MQNCUN ET AL 3,519,205

ELASTIC RAIL FASTENERS Filed March 20, 1968 United States Patent Office 3,519,205 ELASTIC RAIL FASTENERS Louis Monclin and Marian Seraiin, Paris, France, as-

signors to Socit Anonyme de Traverses en Beton Arme Systeme Vagnenx, Paris, France, a company of France Filed Mar. 20, 1968, Ser. No. 714,677 Claims priority, application France, Mar. 30, 1967, 100,780 Int. Cl. E01b 9/00 U.S. Cl. 23S-338 8 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE An elastic rail fastener including a bed in the supporting face extended on each side of the rails and having indentations with substantially vertical walls which constitute stops, an elastic pad, a clip placed over a screw spike and vertically pushing against the ange of the rail by the effect of a nut and a double washer and abutting laterally against an elastically compressible plate arranged against the shoulders of the support surface, the clip being bored and located in such a manner as to leave a certain amount of play around the screw spike which traverses it, although it opposes the accidental rotation of the screw spike.

This invention has to do with fastening means and more particularly to elastic fasteners for use in fastening a rail to a concrete tie or track support.

It is known that the fastening of rails on Vagneux system ties is effected by means of fasteners having Vagneux screw spikes housed in the concrete of the ties by means of a metal fitting (noninsulated track) or an insulating sheathing (insulated track), each screw spike cooperating with a fastening clip placed over it and resting on the one hand against the flange of the rail and on the other hand against the concrete of the tie. The clips are advantageously held by means of an elastic assembly interposed between the upper surface of the clip and a holding nut screwed onto the upper part of the spike.

The present invention relates to improvements in the Vagneux system of rail fasteners referred to above which are applicable to any type of concrete tie or track support, as Well as the ties especially adapted to be equipped with such fasteners.

In accordance with a first characteristic of the invention, each clip rests against the bottom and the substantially vertical transverse edges of a recess provided in the upper surface of the tie via llexible stop plates of given thickness which are independent of any possible widening of gauge. For this purpose, in order to be able to accomodate all desirable gauge widths, there is used a set of clips of different length in the direction of the tie, Ibut the distance from the stop face of the heel of the clip to the axis of the opening which is provided for the passage of the screw spike, remains invariable.

The stop plate may be a simple rest plate but in accordance with the invention it is preferably elastic and formed, for instance, of a spring steel angle having a eXible convex -web provided on the outside with a layer of elastic material.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the vertical application of each clip to the tire and the flange of the rail is effected via an elastic assembly, in particular by a double Grower washer, and play is provided between the screw spike and the hole of the clip s0 that no rubbing can interfere with the free vertical and lateral movement of the clip which accompanies the rail, limiting the amplitude of its elastic movements.

Thus, upon the passage of a train and in particular 3,519,205 Patented July 7, 1970 when an axle passes over a tie, the lateral forces tending to move the rails apart which are transmitted to the clip are absorbed by the elastic striking of the clip against the shock-absorbing plate. The compressing of this shookabsorbing plate under the effect of accidental lateral thrusts may be limited by the contacting of the edge of the bore hole in the clip coming against the at of the screw spike which thus, by way of exception cooperates in the proper maintaining of the gauge, while nevertheless permitting elastic lateral deformation of the rail.

The following description, read with reference to the accompanying drawings which are given in particular lby `way of illustration and not of limitation, will make it clearer how the invention can be carried out in practice.

FIG. 1 shows in partial vertical section a tie and its system of attachment in accordance with the invention, shown in the form of a juxtaposition of two semi-sections, the left semi-section showing the case of an insulating fastener and the right semiasection showing the case of a noninsulating fastener. The arrow F points towards the outside of the track.

FIGS. 1a and 1b show in top view two different types of stop plates.

FIGS. 2a, 2b and 3a, 3b show in elevation and in top view, respectively, a tie in accordance with the invention which may be of the mixed-block Vagneux type or of the monoblock type of preor post-stressed concrete; FIGS. 2a, 2b show the case of axial fasteners, and FIGS. 3a, 3b show the case of lateral fasteners.

The rail 1 is placed in the recess 2 of the upper surface 3 of a concrete track support via an elastic tie pad 4. The prole of the recess 2 has two lateral shoulders 2a, the shoulder on the outside of the track being the larger. Each Vagneux screw spike 5 is mounted in known manner by screwing into a system 6 embedded in the supporting concrete. In the lefthand semi-section, the system 6 is an insulating sheathing; in the righthand semi-section, it is a metal fitting. Each screw spike 5, equipped with a nut 8 and a Grover lwasher 8a has a square collar 5w. In conventional manner the clip 7 is traversed by a square hole 7a which permits the free passage of the square collar 5a.

In characteristic manner, the clip is mounted with the interposition between its heel 7c and the lateral shoulders 2a of the recess of a small plate 9 which, in accordance with the invention and as can better be noted from FIGS. la and 1b, is a bearing and shock-absorbing plate consisting of a spring-steel angle iron, the vertical web 9a of which is curved towards the inside of its dihedral with a sufficient deection that it reacts on the clip in the manner of an elestic arc and of an insulating cover 9b which can collaborate in the elasticity of the system (FIG. la). In the case of the fasteners arranged on the inside of the track, one can use the metal part alone of the plate, without insulating covering (FIG. 1b). Furthermore, in accordance with the invention, a clearance j is preferably provided between the square collar 5a and the rail-side inner face of the hole 7a Due to the improved mounting in accordance with the invention, the fastening which is thus obtained is doubly elastic. On the one hand, due to the absence of the rolling load, there is no possible friction between the square collar 5a of the screw spike 5 and the clip, which leaves the latter full freedom to absorb the vibrations against the action of the double washer 8a. On the other hand, and in particular upon the passage of a car axle in the vicinity of a tie, the flange of the rail tends to exert on the clip a lateral push towards the outside of the track in the direction indicated by the arrow F, this push being absorbed by the face 2a with elastic deformation of the plate 9.

If the displacement of the clip tends to be greater than the clearance j, in case of an exceptional push, the inner at of the square hole 7a comes into contact with the corresponding flat of the square collar 5a of the screw spike, which then assures an additional stop for the clip, while limiting the compression of the shock-absorbing plate.

In accordance with another feature of the concrete track support and its fastener in accordance with the invention, which may be advantageously combined with the above features, the bearing surfaces of each rail com prise for each fastener not only a shoulder 2a parallel to the rail but two indentations whose faces 2b and 2c are perpendicular to the axis of the rail.

The guiding of the heel of the clip between three substantially vertical faces such as 2a, 2b, 2c furthermore has a substantial advantage, namely, of avoiding any accidental loosening of the screw spike S from the systern 6.

If, as a matter of fact, the nut 8 being secured on the screw spike 5, one attempts to unscrew said nut, the square collar 5a of the screw spike which cooperates with the `square hole 7a of the clip which is itself held in an indentation, prevents the unscrewing of the screw spike.

In such case and in order to eliminate any possible crumbling, if not protected, of the faces 2b and 2c of the concrete, the insulating elastic covering 9b of the bearing and shock-absorbing plate 9 is extended along the faces 2b and 2c by two lugs 9b1.

Finally, the bottom of each of the indentations in 2 is advantageously flat and slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal which prevents any accumulation of water which would be harmful to the fasteners and in particular to the electrical insulation of said fasteners.

Although certain particular embodiments of the invention are herein disclosed for purposes of explanation, various modifications thereof, after study of this specification, will be apparent to those skilled in the art and to which the invention pertains, and reference should accordingly be had to the appended claims in determining the scope of the invention.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A rail fastener for fastening a rail to a track support having an upper supporting surface with an indentation having substantially vertical walls two of which are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rail, which comprises in combination; substantially vertically extending spike means having the lower end mounted in said track support, a clip mounted on a medial portion of said spike means, an elastically compressible plate interposed between said clip and said vertical walls of the track support and having a lowersubstantially flat portion engaging the bottom of the indentation and a vertical web curved towards the inside of its dihedral and engageable with one of the vertical walls of the indentation and vertically projecting lugs at each end of said plate for engaging the aforementioned two walls of the indentation for laterally urging said clip against the flange of said rail, and resilient means mounted on the upper end of said spike means for urging said clip against the flange of said rail.

2. A rail fastener according to claim 1 wherein said plate is fabricated from a spring steel angle iron.

3. A rail fastener according to claim 1 wherein said elastically compressible plate further comprises an insulating cover interposed between said plate and said track support.

4. A rail fastener according to claim 1 further comprisng an insulating sheath disposed between the lower end of said spike and said track support.

5. A rail fastener for fastening a rail to a track support having an upper supporting surface with an indentation having substantially vertical walls, which comprises in combination: an elastic pad, a vertically extending member embedded in the track support, a screw spike having a lower portion threadedly secured to said member and having a threaded upper end, said spike having a medial square collar, a clip having a mating square aperture mounted with a loose t on said square collar, said clip having a downwardly projecting heel, an elastically compressible plate interposed between said heel and said track support for laterally urging said clip against the flange of said rail, a double washer mounted on said spike adjacent said clip, a nut mounted on the threaded upper end of said spike adjacent said washer for vertically urging said clip against the flange of said rail.

6. A rail fastener according to claim 5 wherein said vertically extending member embedded in the track support is an insulating sheath having an internal screw thread for receiving said screw spike.

7. A rail fastener according to claim 5 wherein said vertically extending member embedded in the track support is a metal tting having an internal screw thread for receiving said screw spike.

8. A rail fastener according to claim 5 wherein the bottom of said indentation is slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal for preventing accumulation of water therein.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,141,891 12/1938 Willard 23S-351 2,451,414 10/1948 Snyder 238-349 2,690,876 10/1954 Snyder 23S-366 2,779,543 1/1957 Gronlund 23S-283 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner R. A. BERTSCH, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

